Sure, Let's Try Bribes!

"Last year Tom Homan, the border czar, was allegedly recorded accepting $50,000 in cash in a bag (specifically, a bag from CAVA, the Mediterranean fast-casual chain) from undercover FBI agents posing as government contractors in a sting operation, in which Homan intimated that he would now try to steer DHS contracts their way. And then they ... let him hang onto the cash, to see what he would do with it."

"Remember, a wad of money in a weird bag intended for food only looks like a bribe, as a City Hall adviser recently explained. In its proper cultural context, handing someone $50,000 in a CAVA bag is actually a way of saying, "You seem like a man of unimpeachable integrity, and I respect you so much"-and it would be rude to refuse it."

Tom Homan, the border czar, was recorded accepting $50,000 in cash inside a CAVA bag from undercover FBI agents posing as government contractors, and he indicated he would try to steer DHS contracts to them. The undercover agents allowed Homan to keep the cash to observe his subsequent actions. The Trump administration later dropped the case, and FBI Director Kash Patel stated there was "no evidence of wrongdoing." Homan denies any misconduct. The incident is framed as an example of officials accepting cash or favors, with broader implications including dropped charges and favorable outcomes for businessmen and corporations. A suggestion is to cut such payments before funding pediatric-cancer research.

Read at The Atlantic